Sunday, April 06, 2014

EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM

An
impressive reading
of this mighty work, in the version with piano accompaniment, which
Brahms made for an early London performance.

The
four hands on this occasion belonged to Tim Carey and Martin
Sanders-Hewett, no strangers to our County Town.

James
Davey's firm direction brought out the light and shade of the
scoring, especially in the familiar fourth movement and in
the
sombre
final section, ending on a movingly muted note.

The
clarity achieved in this small-scale version was immediately obvious
in the opening Selig Sind, with powerful entries from the choir. The
solemn processional which follows was particularly well shaped, with
the sunshine breaking through towards the end.

The
soloists were baritone Michael Pearce, excellent in the sixth
movement, before the dramatic contribution of the choir, and a
wonderful soprano in Cecilia Osmond – her voice was strong but
unforced, and her approach to the text was warm and sympathetic.

With
its complex and constantly shifting dynamics, and
an unusually substantial role for the chorus, this
is a
challenging work for any choir; the Chelmsford Singers responded
magnificently, in a performance of stylish
assurance.

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About Me

I first wrote reviews for the Essex Chronicle in the early 70s, part of a team led by "Jon Richards". When he stepped down, I took over the organization of the Arts Pages. In 1988 I was succeeded by Mary Redman, though I continued to contribute reviews until the Chronicle stopped carrying regular coverage of amateur performances. Peter Andrews of the Chelmsford Weekly News kindly allowed me to write for his paper. After he retired, his work was continued by Jim Hutchon, who recruited me again to share the load. After Jim died, I continued to provide professional reviews of arts events in and around Chelmsford and Brentwood, until I finally hung up my pen and my word processor in December 2017.
Apart from the newspaper - now The Chelmsford Times - my views have appeared on The Reviews Hub, Remote Goat and Sardines. And of course, all of them were shared on this blog.